“I’m bored,” I would whine to my
mom as a young child.
“Oh, well I have something you can work on!” My mom would enthuse in response to my complaint. I quickly learned not to go to my mom to cure my boredom unless I had a hankering to do dishes, clean my room, or fold socks.
It was during those early years that I learned the value of having unstructured time. I couldn’t have explained the benefits in academic terms, but as a child that unstructured time led to the creation of a “tree house”, rich imaginary worlds, and informal bands.
It’s funny what we know intuitively as children that actually turns out to have a whole lot of truth to it. Boredom can lead to more creative problem solving, increased creativity, and ultimately working harder.
When it comes to goal setting, I would put to you that a little boredom is critically important. You might have a solid stretch goal and it might be such a stretch that you truly have no idea how to go about doing it. Embracing boredom could help you take the first step toward your best life.
